Where does your help come from?
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Have you ever worried? Have you ever been afraid? What are you thoughts on the economy? Or gas prices or food prices? Are you worried? Are you concerned? What about the war in Ukraine? Any fears there? What about China? Are they going to invade Taiwan? How far will Russia go? Will we end up in another World War? Does any of these things concern you? I know I can catch myself wondering what will happen and if i am not careful worry will creep in. How do you overcome fear and doubt? Let us look to the only source of truth. My we encounter the Living God this morning and not walk away unchanged? Allow Him this morning to wash away all your doubts and fears. Trust him this morning. Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 121.
Let’s begin in verse 1
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
As we begin looking at Psalm 121 if you look at the title in you Bible, if it has titles because they weren’t present in the original text. But my Bible says My help comes from the Lord A song of ascents. What does that mean?
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
So three times a year all males were required to return to Jerusalem to worship God. And notice the end of the verse. What does that mean you shall not appear empty handed?
Just the other day I had the opportunity to speak into my friends life. My friend took on a large project, I mean it was quite ambitious I was impressed with his initiative. Well he came to me discouraged. He hit a roadblock and was ready to give up. I turned to a passage I just read. Let’s look at it together.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
God is sovereign over everything in your life so if you are facing trials and difficulty, God is allowing it. Why? Look back at verse 2. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
God uses all the trials and difficulties in your life to test your faith to produce character. Do you know how freeing this truth is in the face of despair? It was great to watch the discouragement wipe off my friend’s face and to see it replaced with a smile.
When we realize that everything in this life is filtered through the hands of our loving Father and that He wants to refine our character and every trial is to increase our faith in Him our dependence on Him. He is far more concerned with our character than He is with our comfort.
Have you ever considered that God loves you too much to make your life easy? So as God’s people left the safety of their homes to make the 2, 3, 4 maybe 5 day journey to Jerusalem, thieves and robbers also knew they would be on the road to Jerusalem and they would lay wait for them in the hills what else was in the hills as they passed trough that they should fear? Wild animals right?. So as they passed through the valley and looked to the hills, the place that could be hiding danger that could befall them at any moment what were they to do? The were to rest in the promise of verse 2
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
How much comfort do you receive from verse 2?
Look around, look up tonight into the night sky count the stars and the planets and the galaxies. As you travel the road of life who watches over you? Who keeps you? Who sustains you when you feel like you can’t go on? When you are pearlized with fear who holds you? The Lord the maker of heaven and earth, think about that for a moment.
As we fear the things of this life meditate on this truth. If you believe in Jesus, the Lord who made all creation from nothing with the power of His word. Holds you. What is too difficult for our God? NOTHING! I pray that encourages you no matter what you are facing. Your help comes from the Lord! The maker of heaven and earth. Oh I pray you know Him and can trust Him when we go through the valleys of life and when you can’t go on I pray you know Him because He will carry you. Unlike us, He is always faithful. How faithful is He?
Have you ever been kept awake at night? If you have ever had a sick child that would not sleep. You know what I am talking about. You reach a point where all you want is to sleep. You are begging the child you are begging God your eyes are burning and there is nothing more you want than sleep. We are weak we need sleep and as these groups of pilgrims traveled how did you stay safe at night? Someone had to stay awake and watch for threats. Do you think the night-watchmen ever slept? Do you think people struggled to sleep because they were afraid the night watchman might fall asleep? I am sure they did. But what about our God the one who watches over us? Look at verse 3
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
He never sleeps he never slumbers He is not drowsy struggling to keep watch He is always alert He is never caught off guard How awesome is that? The one that watches over your soul never slumbers He never sleeps He is never caught off guard. If that does not excite you, check your pulse! Do you know Him?
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
Heat strokes were a real danger when you travel in the heat of the day, but God will be your shade. What an awesome picture. If you know Christ, you are never alone. When you are in the pit of despair remember that you are never alone. The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
How long is God going to keep you?